Brick-cutting machine.



F.-B. DUNN.

- BRICK CUTTING MACHINE.

'IVAPPLIGATION FILED 1101119. 1911.

1,1 22,?O%, Patented Dec. 29, 1914. v 3'SHBETS-SHEET 1.

P.B;DUNN.

BRICK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV.9,1911. 1 ,1 22,704. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WtTE sss. Iqvmtur. Lg. W XML '3- MAM F. B. DUNN.

BRIGK GUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1911.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Wine 552s and that part oft 50 which it is sup orted. Flg. 7, 1s an e r ea ns Parana orrron FRANK B. DUNN, F CONNEAUT, OHIO.

BRICK-CUTTING MACHINE.

aieaaoa.

Application filed November 9, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known'that I, FRANK B. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Conneaut, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Cutting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable so others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to brick-cuttingv machines, and has for its object the provision in such machines of improvements in the platen, and in the guide-plate-mechanism operating on the top of the clay column dur- 2 ing the cutting operation; and improvements in the mechanism for supporting and operating said guide plate mechanism,-

whereby I am enabled to construct a practically operative brick-cuttin machine which entirely overcomes the di culties incident to brick-cutting machines as heretofore constructed. I

Other features and advantages of my invention will appear hereinafter in the specification and claims.

I attain theseobjects and advantages by means of the construction, combination, and arrangement of mechanism hereinafter set forth and described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1, shows a side view in elevation of a part of a brick-cutting machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3, is an end view in 0 elevation of the same looking in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4, is a transverse section of the same on the line :v-w in Figs. 1 and 2 lookin in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 1 an 2. Fig. 5, "i's'a top or plan view of the guide-plate opcrating upon. the clay-column during the cutting pp'eration, and its supporting frame. Fig. 6, 1s a top or Ian view of the platen, e machine frame utpon g wise view of t e ide-plate and its supporting frame, 100 ing in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 5 and 9.- Fig. 8, 1s a side. i w in elevation of the same with the guide-plate turned up. Fig. 9, is an end Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914. Serial No. 659,361.

view of the same in elevation with the guideplate turned up.

In these drawings I show my improvements applied to a brick-cutting machine provided with an oscillating cutter, the entire machine traveling in unison with a moving column of clay extending therethrough during the cutting operation, in which machine the supporting tracks A, the machine frame composed substantially of the end frames, B and side frame B, wheels 25, supporting said machine frame upon the tracks A, the tripping and clutch mechanism C C C the driving gear D D, the shaft 03 of the gear D and the shaft 65' of the gear D mounted on the brackets B on the side-frames B are all of the usual construction and arrangement, and detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The endframes, B, are provided with downwardly extending brackets B in which there is pivoted the supporting arms E of the cutter-yoke E and these two cutteryokes, one at each end of the machine, are

- provided with connecting-bars, 6 below the platen hereinafter described and 6' above said platen, between which bars tensioned cutter-wires e are secured in the usual manner The platen is constructed preferably of a platen frame F provided with transverse slots f for the passage of the cutterwires 6 The platen frame F rests upon and is supported by the lugs b on'the inside faces of the end frames B of the machine. Upon the top of this platen frame F, I preferably secure plates f which form the wearing surface of the top of the platen; and to the sides of the platen frame F I secure side-guides F which have slots coinciding with the slots 7 in the platen frame. These guides F operate to retain the claycolumn in place as itpasses over the platen and during the operation of the cuttingwires thereon. The guides F are preferab y secured up on'the top of the platen frame by'means of bolts so that they can be removed from the p aten frame F when do sired. The platen-frame and the guides secured thereto rest upon the lugs b, on the inside of the end-frames B and can be at any time removed from the machine and replaced by another platen for cutting brick of a different size, sim ly by removing the cutter-wires 6 This p aten and gpide structure' and its relation to the mac inc-frame 110 in the transverse secare clearly illustrated plan view to each of said yokes somewhat below the platen F a pitman G which connects with a crank-disk D mounted on the shaft (1. The gear and tripping mechanism being so arranged and adjusted that each semi-revolution of the crank-disk D will'move the yokes E so as to carry the tensioned cut-- ting wires through the slots 7 in the platen F, so that each movement of the cutteryokes will cut the clay-column upon the platen into brick.

Upon the tops of the end frames B, I secure upright guides H H, and upon these guides H, I place an upwardly and downwardly movable part I, provided with vertical sleeves I, fitting over the guides H and are freely movable up and down thereon. The preferred shape and configuration of the parts I, being clearly shown in Figs. 5, 7, 8 and 9.

To the outer faces of the-parts I, there is preferably pivoted upwardly extending arms J each being provided with a roller J, mounted on a stud j, on the upper end thereof and extending over the peripheries of the yokes E. Upon the upwardly extending arms J, there are laterally extending arms J the outer end of which is pivoted t0 brackets B on each end frame B, and on each of the yokes E, there are two preferably adjustable, wedge-shaped, parts E and E that they will pass'under the rollers J, at the completion of each traverse of the yokes E, and operate through the upright arms J, to raise the parts I, upward and retain them in such raised position until the yokes E, start back on their return traverse. On the guides H above the sleeves I, are placed spiral springs h secured by adjusting nuts I h, which springs operate on the parts I, to force them downward to their normal positions.

Between the parts I, there is secured a guide-plate L by means of removable pivots extending through the parts I and into the ends L near the edge L, the opposite edge L resting upon the lugs 11 on the inside faces of the parts I, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7, and are secured in place by means of removable bolts. 2" passing through the parts I, and into the ends L, of the guide-plate L, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5, so that in operation the guide-plate L, is raised and lowered in unison with the parts I, as shown in Fig. 3. The bolts 2', can be removed when desired and the guideplate L, can then be turned up on the pivots i, out of the way, as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, and by broken lines in Fig. 3, and when necessary to change the guide-plate to secured thereto at such pointsmake a brick of different size'the removable studs 2', and the bolts '5, can be removed, and the guide-plate L, removed from the machine and another guide-plate substituted therefor.

The guide-plate L, is preferably cast in the shape of a comb, the part L constituting the back thereof and the parts L ,-the teeth with slots Z, between them as illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 8, which slots Z, coincide with the slots f in the platen frame F, and the slots i in the side-guides F, when the guide-plate L, is in place on the machine.

To the under face of the teeth or bars L, I secure guide-plates M of the same width as the platen plates f, and of sufficient length to enter between the guides F, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, so that when the parts I, and the guide-plate L, carried thereby, more downward to their lowermost position a column of clay upon the platen will be firmly clamped between the platenplates f, and the guide-plates M. It is manifest that the under faces of the guideplates M may be made plain, or of any desired configuration, in which latter case the configuration on the guide-plates M will be impressed upon the upper edges of the bricks as they are being cut.

In operation a column of clay passes into the cutter upon the platen-plates 7' between the side-guides F, in the usual manner, and

at predetermined times the machine travels forward in unison with the column of clay and as it starts this movement the mechanism which actuates the cutter-yokes starts and operates to rotate the crank-disks D one half of arev-olution, and when it starts to move the cutter-yokes they carry the wedge-shaped parts E and E", as the case may be, from'under the rollers J, on the arms J, connected with the parts I, and permit the parts I, and the guide-plate L, carried thereby to move downward, aided by the action of the springs k, so as to firmly clamp a column of clay on the platen-plates 7, down thereon during the passage of the cutter-wires therethrough, and as the cutter-yokes E continue their movement, the cutter-wires e enter the slots between .the

platen lates fand the slots between the plates and are carried transversely through the clay-column without any strain upon the driving mechanism of the machine during said cutting operation, other than that incident to forcing the cutter-wires through the clay, and when the cutter-wires have passed out of the clay-column the wedge-shaped parts, E or E, as the case may be, immediately pass under the rollers J, and operate to raise the parts I, and the guide-plate L, so as to release the cut-bricks, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and allow the bricks to be moved 05 of the platen-plates f, by the incoming column of clay; this operation being repeated at each movement of the cutter-yokes E,

Having thus described my invention so as to enable others to construct and utilize the same, I do not desire to limit myself to the exact form of mechanism shown and described, as many modifications therein may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Therefore What I claim as neW and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is; y

1. The combination in a brick-cutting machine, of a frame, a slotted platen, for receiving and sustaining a column of clay, mounted on said frame, a vertically movable slotted guide-plate mounted above said platen and adapted to clamp a clay column thereon, yokes at the ends of the machine frame, cutting-Wire mechanism mounted on and carried by said yokes, mechanism for intermittently operating said yokes to carry the cutting-Wires through a clay-column clamped upon the platen by said guideplate, mechanism at the ends of said guideplate communicating with said yokes, raised surfaces on said yokes adapted to engage the mechanism communicating With the guide-plate as the movement of the yokes terminates and raise the guide plate off of the clay-column, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a brick-cutting machine of a frame, a slotted platen thereon, yokes carrying cutting Wire mechanism mounted near the ends of the machine frame, means for intermittently moving said yokes, vertical guides on the ends of the machine frame, parts movable up and down on said guides, a slotted guide-plate so pivoted on and supported by said parts that oneedge thereof" can be turned up When desired, vertical arms on said parts extending upward adjacent to the yokes, inclined surfaces so located on said yokes as to be engaged by said vertical arms to raise said vertically movable parts and the guideplate supported thereby as the movement of the yokes terminates, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a brick-cutting machine of a frame, a slotted platen resting in supports on the ends of said frame so as to be readily removable therefrom, yokes carrying cutting-wire mechanism mounted on the ends of the frame, mechanism for intermittently moving said yokes, vertically movable parts mounted on the ends of the machine frame adjacent to the yokes, arms extending upward therefrom adjacent to said yokes, rollers on the upper ends thereof, a guide-plate so secured to and supported by said parts that it can be readily removed therefrom, and inclined surfaces adjustably secured to said yokes and so located thereon as to be engaged by the rollers on said arms and raise said vertically movable parts and the guide-plate supported thereby as the movement of the yokes terminate in either direction, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK B. DUNN.

W'itnesses:

H. M. STURcEoN, JOHN B. BROOKS. 

